Strong earthquake hits Iran-Iraq border, kills about 450

A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake has hit the border region between Iran and Iraq, killing about 450 people, almost all of them in Iran.

The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at around 09:18 pm local time on Sunday (0010 GMT on Monday), was 32 kilometers south of the Iraqi city of Halabja, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and just across the border from Iran, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

But the highest casualties occurred in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, in Iran’s Kermanshah Province.

According to official tallies, 445 Iranians were confirmed dead as of Monday afternoon. Over 7,156 others were also injured.

The National Disaster Management Organization of Iran said earlier that power cuts had been reported in Kermanshah Province. A number of villages in western Iran have also seen destruction of varying degrees.

Leader orders swift rescue operations

Soon after the quake occurred, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a message calling on all Iranian officials and institutions to “rush to the aid of those affected in these early hours [after the incident].”

The Leader said the country’s entire range of capabilities had to be used swiftly to prevent a further rise in the death toll.

Ayatollah Khamenei called on Iran’s Armed Forces to help with removing the rubble and transferring the injured to medical centers.

Separately, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke on the phone with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli on Sunday night, who briefed the president on the latest updates. President Rouhani then issued the necessary directives to facilitate and accelerate rescue operations.

Three days of mourning have been announced in Kermanshah.

The earthquake was felt in cities in several other Iranian provinces, including as far away as in the capital, Tehran.

The quake also shook the Iranian provinces of Kordestan, Ilam, Khuzestan, Hamedan, West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Qazvin, Zanjan, and Qom.

Commander of Iran’s Army Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi has also arrived in Sarpol-e Zahab, one of the worst-affected areas, to oversee Army rescue operations in the region.

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, has also traveled there.

So has Iran’s Police Chief Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari.

Rescue work

First responders have been using sniffer dogs to look for potential survivors under the rubble.

Hospitals in Tehran have been put on alert to treat those of the wounded who are transferred to the capital. At least 43 ambulances, four ambulance buses, and 130 emergency technicians have been stationed in the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran for a quick transfer of the victims to hospitals.

Over 100 medics have also been dispatched to the affected areas. The Iranian Air Force, too, has deployed helicopters to accelerate the transfer of the wounded.

Iranians have been flocking to the branches of the Blood Transfusion Organization to donate blood.